How to Write 茬 (chá) — Meaning “stubble”

Imagine a field of grass (艹) that has been cut, leaving sharp stubble. Now your foot is "at" (在) the stubble, so you say "cha!" as you step on it. The sound 茬 (chá) mimics the crunch.

Write the top radical 艹 with its horizontal stroke first, then the two vertical strokes. The lower part 在 starts with a horizontal stroke, then a vertical and a sweeping curve; do not make the right side too wide. A common mistake is to separate the 艹 too far from 在, making the character unbalanced.

茬 (chá) means "stubble" and has the grass radical, while 兹 (zī) means "now" or "this" and has the 丷 (eight) top; it is used in words like 兹事 (this matter). 芈 (mǐ) is a surname and an ancient sound, with a different top shape (羊 without the horizontal); it appears in historical names but is rare today.

茬 appears in everyday words like 找茬 (zhǎo chá), meaning "to pick a quarrel" or "find fault" — literally "look for stubble." It is also used in farming contexts like 麦茬 (wheat stubble) or 茬口 (crop rotation), so you might hear it in rural or agricultural discussions.

Common words containing 茬 include: 找茬 (zhǎo chá) — to pick a quarrel; to find fault; 茬口 (chá kǒu) — crop rotation; 麦茬 (mài chá) — Wheat stubble.